What colour have you painted your north facing bedroom in?

[Killerqueen2244]

I thought our bedroom, despite being north facing, would take a lovely pale sage green but i think even with the 2 windows in the room (and light oak furniture) it’ll be too dark so I’ve wimped out and am looking at every shade of beige!!! 😩

Help me think of some inspiration!! The bed will have a large headboard so not keen on a feature wall and I don’t think my husband will let me go crazy with the wallpaper (plus it’s a large room so not sure I can afford the time/cost of it!)

So, any ideas? I didn’t realise how many shades of white there are before I even started on the neutrals!!!!

[Ketzele]

If your room is dark, with a cold light, then white can end up looking really drab. So I'd be thinking about a warmer colour.

Also, as it's a bedroom does it really have to be light? It's often better to work with the grain, painting dark rooms dark and light rooms light.

My north facing bedroom was painted a pale grey (Farrow & Ball Blackened) which looked pale blue in the cool light. It's actually a lovely colour, but not cosy. I've decided to repaint in a dusty rose pink (Mylands Soho House). It will make the room darker but I think will look lovely with my metal bed and mid century wood furniture. I've found a stunning antique wooden mirror etched with roses, and I'm going to hang pale green curtains (I love pink and green together). I've got new bedside lamps and I expect they will be on more - it will be a lot more womb-like, but that's a good thing in a bedroom!

As the room is big, you're looking at a lot of wall and I would just go for it and make a statement: how about F&B Brassica, or Cinder Rose?

If I can't persuade you and you really want a pale neutral, then how about F&B shadow white/shaded white/slipper satin/skimming stone? If you're still thinking pale green, their Cromarty is lovely. Or you could think pink: Paint & Paper Library's Plaster II/III is a lovely pale just-there adult pink.

[Killerqueen2244]

Thank you for your detailed response- lots for me to think about! It’s the Cromarty I was originally looking at but reading up on how the cool light affects green that’s what swayed me to look at neutrals. I’m worried it’ll look too clinical for a bedroom so have shelved the colour for possibly the south facing study when I get round to it.

I think I’ll take your advice and look at the pinker tones for something different. I’ve got my F&B and Mylands colour cards out! It’s so hard to visualise when the room is painted white ready for colour.

I’ve never worried about what colours go where before, just whatever took my fancy but (over)thinking it it’s because I’ve not had a directly facing north room to decorate before!

[LittleWingSoul]

What have you got hanging at your windows? I've got taupe muslin voiles that filter the light so it's quite a warm glow, even in an off-white painted room, with white bed sheets and a wall of white pax wardrobes. Doesnt feel clinical at all!

@ketzele I love the sound of that pink for a bedroom!

[lashy]

In my old house our North facing bedroom was painted Dulux Natural Hessian with white woodwork, white window dressing, cream carpet and dark wood sleigh bed. Always appeared warm and welcoming.

[MessySurfaces]

I've had two north facing bedrooms in different houses painted F&B calluna, which I've absolutely loved. It really changes with the light, from almost white, to smoky, to shadow-violet. Just gorgeous.
My current room is south facing, and my calluna sample just wasn't as nice in it.

[InTheRoseGarden]

My favourite to date was F&B Skimming Stone which I absolutely loved. I would second Natural Hessian too.

[dontcallmelen]

My bedroom is north facing, I have natural hessian on the walls with the wall behind the bed is a laura Ashley wallpaper, light cream/darker cream thick stripes with a trailing rose( not usually a fan of feature walls but it works) cream carpet & cream painted furniture/cream gold metal bed, gold lamps/pictures frames & cream/pink plain bedding/throws/cushions.
sort of faded/overblown rose fabric curtains, it’s a large room so can take some pattern, it is a bit more feminine than Dh would probably like but I really wanted a pretty room & he doesn’t pass any remarks 😃

[ElinorCadwaller]

3x5 m room. Walls are F+B Calluna. Was a wildcard sample but I love it, it's dreamy and grownup and unexpected somehow. Floor is Tanners Brown with a big Chinese rug, dark furniture, and white linen.

[ElinorCadwaller]

Oh snap meessy

[RooKangaroo]

@LittleWingSoul, that sounds lovely! And just what I've been trying to do.

Don't suppose you'd mind sharing a photo?

[stressedoutpa]

Farrow and Ball Borrowed Light which is a pale blue. It's beautiful and looks different at different times of the day.

[slinkysaluki]

I have a North East facing bedroom that I will soon be decorating I'm considering Muted Rose which is B and Q not posh but I like the colour I am going to put Goose Down grey with it

[PaintBySticker]

Interesting. Our bedroom is NE facing and it’s painted white (when we moved in). Wood floor, sage green curtains (woodland scene), grey wool headboard. I like it white. It feels peaceful and the sage green is just warm enough.

I’m intrigued by mention of Farrow & Ball Calluna above but any suggestion of mauve / purple puts me off.

[InfiniteCurve]

We painted DS's north facing bedroom a mid bright blue,with white ceiling and skirting boards,it looked really good and never felt dark.(a bit darker than sky blue!)

[Iwantaunicorn]

My bedroom is painted in crowns sail white (come to think of it, so is the rest of the house!) which is a lovely off white with a little green and grey hint to it. My room is quite small and pretty dark, and I’m currently dreaming/trying to gather the courage to paint it dulux emerald green, with Victorian mahogany furniture, gold accessories, and twinkly Edison bulb lights. I can’t quite decide if it sounds utterly hideous, or a fab idea!

[slinkysaluki]

I want - sounds very steampunk

[yikesanotherbooboo]

My DS has an aqua colour. A pale Mediterranean ( warm blue) . It's not my favourite but works well. He does have quite a large window.

[ElinorCadwaller]

@PaintBySticker try a sample, I would never have picked it from the description but it's much more grownup than it sounds, and surprisingly easy to work with other colours/furniture

[mayhew]

I have a pale grey Laura Ashley wallpaper with a white ceiling and duck egg blue curtains. Pale grey carpet. It's calm and not cold at all.

[villageshop]

Dulux polished pebble, it's a lovely light grey blue, not cold at all, we're very happy with it and we don't normally do colour unless it's white or at a push Timeless.

[Killerqueen2244]

I have to admit I almost had a wobble by ordering in some feature wall paper but I think I might just close my eyes and stick my paintbrush into the Cromarty paint pot! I do love blues/greens and greys and have been looking at the paint chart with all your suggestions.

I’ve got about 5 sample colours stuck on the wall and I know I’m overthinking it. This house is supposed to be very long term so I want to get it at least 90% perfect because it won’t be decorated for at least 5 years (while we’re decorating everything else!) but I don’t want to be too safe with the colours! The other room is south facing so I won’t be stressing out too much about that!

[crumpet]

F&B bone is a lovely green - warm too.

[yikesanotherbooboo]

KQ I love that colour and its friendship. We are working on extending clunch through as much of the house as we can!

[Chasingsquirrels]

Mine is NE and is chocolate, caramel & white. I love the way we did the walls, but have since got a bigger bed with a different headboard and bedding (used to have a headboard that matched the curtains and all cream and taupe type bedding) and would like to change the colours to match, and change the curtains - but not sure what to go with. Headboard is grey and bedding is generally grey & white, current one with touches of yellow.

[sleepycat13]

our room is south facing but I did the birth facing nursery in a flat Matt black (controversial!!) it actually works really well. we do have a large window and I kept the ceiling and carpet light and accessorised with bright colours and I think it works really well. it really brings out the depth and the warmth in the oak furniture and it has a warm cosy feel as opposed to a heavy cold feel as you might expect so I would say don't be put off by darker colours if that's what you like.